Internet of Things will dominate by 2025: Good or bad?

The Internet of Things is expected to dominate by 2025, research from the Pew Internet Project Suggests. The future is more connected, but is this good or bad?
( Sudhamshu Hebbar )

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In both commemorating the past quarter century of the World Wide Web, the Pew Internet Project is also looking to the future and attempting to predict how the world of the Internet will look like in 2025, which could very well be dominated by the Internet of Things, based on their latest look at predictions from tech experts and leaders.

Latest report follows the institute's February report that delved into the advancement of the Internet from a niche idea for the few into the massive megalith that it has become today, with mostly positive attitudes by the public over its progression.

Now, the Pew Internet Project looks into the future and sees almost all devices in some way connected to the Internet, whether that be a television, smartphone or wristwatch.

While the world currently views the Internet as intrinsically part of everyday life, the study showed that in the next decade, it will become even more ingrained into the psyche and actions of people and the devices and products they use regularly.

The report suggested that as the Internet and its usage becomes less visible to a glance, it will become ever more vital to people and their lives.

The Pew report said that most of the experts they spoke with, believe we will witness "a global, immersive, invisible, ambient networked computing environment built through the continued proliferation of smart sensors, cameras, software, databases and massive data centers in a world-spanning information fabric known as the Internet of Things."

Many expect the Internet of Things to encompass almost everything in the next decade, from the environment to our bodies to the goods and services people purchase, although experts say this will become less visible than in previous years.

It is the second part in collaboration with Elon University over the future of technology. Reports that are expected to be published later this year include topics such as cybersecurity, privacy and the controversy surrounding net neutrality.

"It includes some of the best and most provocative of the predictions survey respondents made when specifically asked to share their views about the evolution of embedded and wearable computing and the Internet of Things," the Pew report says.

While it does make the predictions based on experts responses, the research does little to say whether this would be positive for the global society, leaving it to the experts and the people to make that decision on how interconnected they want their futures.